Oh, Angel
by conspiredfate
Summary: “Why do you watch?” the voice asked him. “Because he is still alive.” L replied. [SPOILERS for the ending of DN] From the nothingness, L watches as Light ulitmately falls. [Ministory]
1. Watching, Soon

I know what you must be thinking; aagh, she's started _another_ L/Light story without even finishing her other drabble series!

No? Well, you should, because that's what I'm doing. Oh, and be warned: SPOILERS, for ending of DN and L's name.

Fear not, this one won't be as long or random as _Raito, on Ryuuzaki _is ending up being. I only intend about 4, 5 chapters max for this. And they're really short.

This story will take place after L's death, as he looks down from the nothingness at Light. Wow. Better than it sounds, really. I hope.

I was inspired to write this by two things: the last episode of Death Note, where as Light dies, the last thing he sees is L standing in front of him, and two, a picture I saw of L as an angel with white wings holding Light who is an angel with black wings. So, yeah. Have that in mind as you read.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Except L. No, wait, dammit, I don't even own him. But I _do_ own an L necklace. -cackles- DN is but a step away...

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**1 / Watching / _Soon_**

"Lawliet."

The voice that called him was gentle. He removed his thumb from its usual place on his lower lip to answer.

"Yes?"

"Why do you watch?" the voice asked him.

"Because he is still alive." Lawliet replied.

"Worry not; he will go to where he deserves eventually." The voice said, the bitterness in it not meant for the one he was speaking to.

"No!" Lawliet cried, a little louder than he meant. The sound echoed in the white-nothing they were suspended in. "No." His voice dropped and thumb once again returned to his lips. "I do not wish that." He murmured.

"Why?" the voice was curious now.

Lawliet did not answer, could not answer. He never spoke without thinking, and this question required…a _lot _of thinking. And yet at the same time, he did not want to say he did not know; because he was a detective, and rather than saying he did not know, he would find out. After all, he had an eternity.

"It is almost time." The voice was closer now, almost directly behind him. "He will be done, soon."

"Yes. Very soon."


	2. Agony, Childish

**2 / Agony / **_**Childish**_

It was agonizing in two very different ways to watch Light crumble.

The first was rational; Lawliet ached to be there, with Near. To catch Kira once and for all, to be able to say _I won. _Childish, but rational.

The second was an entirely different matter. Something unknown, or at least unacknowledged, pulled at his heartstrings, as though it was _he_ whom Matsuda shot, instead of Light.

"You're trembling, Lawliet," the voice was concerned now, as it said his name. Lawliet ignored it.

He was childish. He hated to lose. He hated to lose _anything_. He would not lose this, this chance.

He _would not_ _lose Light._

"I must go now," he said calmly.

"Lawliet-"

"Forgive me."

And he plunged into the human world.


	3. Reasons, Fallen

**3 / Reasons / **_**Fallen**_

It was strange to see the self proclaimed God of the new world lying in his own blood, so dirty and unclean. _How the mighty fall_, Lawliet thought wryly… himself included.

What had brought him here?

Why should he, the one who had been _murdered_ by this broken shell of a man, care at all for whatever doom awaited Light? He deserved it, didn't he?

And yet, looking upon the boy (for that was truly what Light was; a boy with a dream that might have been called noble under different circumstances), Lawliet could not find it in himself to hate him.

Ah, well. It was too late for reasons, too late for second-guessing. He was here now.


	4. Naïve, Hell

**4 / Naïve / **_**Hell**_

How naïve they had all been- every last one of them, to believe in a God that was merciful! Ryuk had shown no such kindness towards Light.

Lawliet was torn between laughing and crying as Light's heart stopped beating. Irony, oh the irony!

_How does it feel, Light?_ He wanted to shout, _how does it feel to die just like one of them- just like the criminal that you are?_

But he did not.

He waited.

He envied Light for being so graceful even in death. There was no screaming, no pleading anymore for his life; he knew it was over, and the only thing reflected in his amber eyes was painful realization. His eyes closed at last, and Lawliet watched as the soul separated from its battered container.

"Light-kun." How long had it been since he had said that name? It still rolled off his tongue with that same infuriatingly irresistible bitter-sweetness he knew so well.

It was safe to say Light was shocked.

"L…" he breathed. "How…?" Light did not give Lawliet a chance to answer. "Oh, I know. You're going to lead me to hell, aren't you?" He laughed brokenly. "I should have known God would be so sadistic!"

"Jumping to conclusions once again, Light-kun," Lawliet spoke, marveling at how steady his voice was. Steady was good, betrayed nothing. "I have come to do no such thing, though if you insist upon wasting time, that may very well indeed be your destination."

"And you wouldn't like that?" Light asked softly, painfully.

"I don't know," Lawliet admitted truthfully, "but I'm not taking any chances."

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_Authors Note: _I promised a longer chapter, and here it is. Not of epic length, I know, but I wanted to keep this story short and sweet. Well, bittersweet. Next two or so chapters will be the last. No idea when I'll update though, sorry.

Your reviews really make my day. Thank you to everyone who has read and taken the time to review!


	5. Name, Saviour

**5 / Name / **_**Saviour**_

"Why?" Light persisted on asking repeatedly as Lawliet beckoned him forward.

"I have injured my pride once by admitting my lack of knowledge on this matter; must you make me repeat myself again?" Lawliet asked, sighing gently.

"It just doesn't seem real," Light replied, and Lawliet shivered as their hands met and clasped tightly. "I don't deserve this…"

"I never said you did, Light-kun." Lawliet reminded him.

"I have so much to tell you," Light whispered, holding Lawliet's eyes with his amber gaze. "I'm so sorry L."

"Lawliet."

"What?"

"My name, Light-kun. My name is Lawliet." Lawliet smiled, and after a brief pause, Light returned it with a thousand-watt smile of his own.

"Lawliet." Light repeated, and Lawliet felt he had never heard his name sound so beautiful before. The distressed look reformed itself on Light's face, young and unspoiled in his soul form. "Lawliet, I-"

Lawliet stopped him, pressing his index finger delicately against Light's lips.

"We have an eternity for reasons and apologies, Light-kun. Now is not the time." He chided lightly, deftly interlacing his fingers with Light's. He leaned forward, almost resting his chin on Light's shoulder to whisper in his ear: "I'm going to save you. You can thank me later."

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_Authors Note: _Once again, thank you all for your wonderful reviews; I try to reply to as many as I can.

Some of you have requested longer chapters, but let me restate that I never intended for a story-length fic with this. I wanted it to be a drabble-like thing originally, but it was too complex, so I turned it into this chaptered one-shot (if you'd like something with more length, the first two drabbles in my other Death Note story- _Raito, on Ryuuzaki_, are of decent story length).

Last chapter I said it would be over in the next two chapters, but I'm unsure of that at this point. Heh.


	6. Light, Nothingness

**6/ Light / **_**Nothingness**_

_Light._

It was strange to see it again, after the muck and gore of the human world. It was a relief, nonetheless, to see that at least something was constant and unspoiled.

Lawliet gently released Light from his grasp, allowing the boy to adjust.

"What… what is this?" Light murmured, rubbing his eyes and blinking until they were accustomed to the brightness.

"_Mu_," Lawliet answered. "The nothingness."

"So this is it," Light looked around for a moment before turning to face Lawliet with an unreadable look on his face. "This is where we spend eternity? And I thought Ryuk was lying." He added as a murmured after thought.

"There is more to death than _Mu _and nothingness, Light-kun. Though, had I not saved you, this," Lawliet motioned around with a pale, skinny arm that looked even paler against the whiteness, "would have been your final destination. You would be doomed to linger here, in the nothingness, as nothingness yourself."

Light looked confused. "I thought you said…I would be sent to Hell?"

Lawliet smiled. "I had to get you to shut up, didn't I?"

Light laughed, and it echoed through the endless expanse of white.

The nothingness didn't seem so empty anymore.

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_Authors Notes: _Bleh. Crappy ending to this one, but essential for this to near any sort of completion. Thanks for all the lovely reviews!

I do have the next chapter written (and it's a tad longer too), but I'm going to be annoying and wait for more feedback on this chapter. I'd really like feedback on the entire story actually; what you thought of the previous chapters, where you think it'll end up, if you think I kept them in character or not...etc. But, since I'm anxious to post the next chapter too, I'll probably post it tomorrow or day after at the latest.


	7. Door, Heaven

**7 / Door / **_**Heaven**_

"You said there was more to death than this," Light asked after a minute. "Is there a Heaven, then?"

"I suppose you could call it that," Lawliet mused. "In any case it's better than this." Lawliet closed his eyes, frowning in concentration for a moment. Light gasped softly beside him in shock when a large door seemingly made of gold appeared before them. "For those who have good karma, so to speak, there exists a place to go to after death. It is unique to every individual." Lawliet explained, reaching forward to turn the sparkling handle of the door. It creaked open, revealing a shadowy hallway. Lawliet strode into the murkiness, motioning for Light to follow. He did so hastily.

The hallway was long and dimly lit. Countless doors, each one unique, lined the sides of the hallway. Some looked like doors to buildings, others to homes, rooms, and the like. Some even had stickers pasted on the outside, and it felt as though one was walking through a house with an infinite number of family members.

"This is the Hall of Paradise," Lawliet continued in his explanation as they walked, "Aptly named. Behind each door is paradise for a person, or persons."

"So when you died… you just ended up here?"

"Not quite. We all go to the nothingness first, and if we are not… 'claimed' by Heaven, then we lose ourselves in the nothingness, damned to fade away into nothing ourselves. That's what the nothingness _is_- lost souls who have lost their right to paradise."A dark look crossed Lawliet's face. "That's what would have happened to you… had I not come to your rescue." Lawliet finished rather smugly.

"And you still won't give me an answer as to _why_ you did so?" Light asked, half teasing.

"Would 'wanting intelligent conversation' serve to quell your curiosity for the time being?" Lawliet replied, mild annoyance tugging at the words.

"For now." Light nodded.

Lawliet stopped in front of a large mahogany door with a bronze handle, looking very much like one that would lead into an old library.

"Here we are," Lawliet said, amusement trickling into his tone. "Home sweet home," he sang under his breath, opening the door.

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_Authors Notes: _A longer, more descriptive chapter than the last. The last few chapters of this story (yes, it is nearing completion. It'll be finished at 10 chapters) will be more like this one- story-like in format. More descriptions and dialogue ahead! Reviews make me happy, and a happy author updates sooner. ;P


	8. Forgiven, Home

**8 / Forgiven / **_**Home**_

The first thing one noticed about Lawliet's paradise was probably the towering mahogany book shelves that lined the walls. It was like being in the library of Henry Higgins, though the space seemed infinite, and there were at least three spiraling staircases reaching up to the tallest shelves, seemingly _stories_ above. On the one wall that was free of books, there were three enormous French windows, at the top of which were stained glass pieces. The most prominent, Light noticed chuckling, was a dark blue stained glass with a black gothic style L in the center.

"Whammy," Lawliet called, speaking English now as he shut the door behind them with a click. "We're back."

"We…?" a muffled voice called, before a door appeared between two bookcases and a man in his late forties stepped out. Light vaguely recognized him as a _much _younger Watari. The door disappeared after Watari had crossed the room, stopping short when he saw Light.

"Light Yagami." He said, staring at him with a mixture of shock and intense dislike that Light could make out even across the room. "Lawliet, is this why you went to the human world?"

"Yes, it is. I believe I asked for your forgiveness before I left, Whammy." Lawliet replied simply, and Light barely kept up with the English for the speed.

"I didn't think you would bring him here, Lawliet." Whammy answered, still eyeing Light suspiciously.

"Neither did I." Lawliet admitted, and Whammy sighed.

"If this is your wish, Lawliet… I have no place arguing with you. You would probably just twist my words in your favor anyway." The older man added, a smile crinkling the corners of his eyes. Lawliet returned it with a tender smile of his own. The rest of the conversation was a whispered, fast-spoken language Light didn't understand. Watari, Whammy, left the same way he had entered the place, and as soon as the mysteriously formed door between the bookshelves shut, it disappeared as though it had never been there. Lawliet turned to face Light again.

"Welcome home, Light-kun."

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_Authors Notes: _A nice note to end it on, don't you think? The chapter, that is. ;D Still got a couple more chapters left in the story. I know this one was more description than anything, but it sets up the ending. Oh, and Henry Higgins is a character from the musical/movie My Fair Lady, and he has a huge kick-ass library if you haven't seen the movie. 


	9. Time, Smile

**9 / Time / **_**Smile**_

Days, weeks, months… how long had it been since Lawliet had rescued the once broken boy from his doom? Things had changed so much, himself included.

The library had changed in appearance slightly to match the feelings of both Light and Lawliet (this was Lawliet's doing, but he didn't tell Light that; the boy owed him enough anyway). The once very English-like landscape outside the French windows had changed into a much more Japanese style scene; Lawliet had secretly coaxed out of Light his favorite places when he was younger during one of their talks, and this new backdrop matched it to near perfection.

They were 'outside' now, sitting on a bench watching the bamboo fountain as it filled and _clicked!_ into place before spilling back into the rock pool.

"Would you have spared me?" Light asked, breaking the silence, "If I had told you everything before?"

"No." Lawliet replied in a heartbeat. "What did you think, Light-kun?" He asked, more gently this time.

Light sighed and shook his head. "I don't know. I guess I just wanted to hear it."

"I would no sooner have spared you than I would have trusted you." Lawliet informed bluntly.

"But you trust me now."

"I have nothing to fear anymore." Lawliet replied.

They lapsed into silence once again, save for the rhythmic clicking and dripping of the bamboo fountain. A breeze ruffled through their hair, scent far sweeter than any ever felt on earth. Light was the one to break the silence again.

"Do you have an answer now?" he asked softly. He didn't need to elaborate. Lawliet closed his eyes, clenching his hands around his knees in his signature position.

"Yes," he breathed finally. "I do." Light waited for him to continue. "I brought you to my paradise because it is my Heaven, and truthfully, at the risk of sounding cliché, it wouldn't be my Heaven without you." Light laughed, though not mockingly, and Lawliet allowed himself a smile.

_"You've been smiling a lot more, Lawliet. And looking down at the real world much less."_

_Lawliet quirked his head. "Is that so, Whammy?"_

_"I still don't like that boy, but I haven't seen you smile in a long time."_

_"Oh? You think it's because of him?"_

_"…yes, Lawliet, I do."_

_"…so do I."_

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_Authors Notes_: Oh, and to clarify, the last little italicized bit is Lawliet' thinking back on a previous event. FYI.

-gasp- This is the second to last chapter! Next chapter will be the Epilogue. I want to know what you guys would like in the last chapter; should I put in fluff or not? A kiss or just leave it up to you to imagine? Please-please send me feedback!


	10. Epilogue: Eternity, Moments

**Epilogue / Eternity / **_**Moments**_

_A moment will explain, though there's nothing left to say._

"So this is eternity." Light raised a hand to shield his eyes against the golden-orange 'sunset'. "I think I could get used to it." He said, reaching for Lawliet's hand.

"Quite frankly, Light-kun, you have no choice." Lawliet replied, pretending not to notice as their hands intertwined (he did this so well that had they not been the only two people in the place, Light would have thought he had grabbed someone _else's _hand).

"You sure know how to kill a moment, Lawliet."

"You were trying to set up for something?" Lawliet queried curiously.

"Perhaps, though I suppose with you that's impossible to do."

"Rather than wasting time over-thinking ways to trick me into falling for something, Light-kun, why don't you just do it?" Lawliet said meaningfully.

"Hm. I think I'll take that suggestion." Light murmured, leaning closer.

"Then hurry up."

Light rolled his eyes. Killjoy.

"Light-kun, perhaps you hesitate because you are unskilled? It's quite alright; I wouldn't be surprised if you were an amateur."

"What's that supposed to-mmph!"

Lawliet's lips were softer than Light could have imagined. Gently insisting in their pressure, they melded perfectly against his. They pulled away, breathless, after what seemed like an eternity in itself (but still too short), resting their foreheads against each other.

"Thank you," Light breathed, lips ghosting over Lawliet's closed eyelids, across his cheeks and finally kissing the corner of his lips. Lawliet opened his eyes, and slowly shook his head.

"Thank _you_, Light-kun."

_Love, love, is a verb_

_Love is a doing word_

_Fearless on my breath_

**Fin**

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_Authors Notes: _Well, I stared long and hard at this chapter, seeing if I was happy with it, and after I added in the opening and ending lyrics, I felt it was a nice conclusion. I'm sorry I'm not that great at writing fluff, so I had to toss in a bit of humor. Heh. Hope you don't mind; it's acutally why I like this chapter so much. I hope it shows how not only their relationship, but they themselves have changed. They're a bit more childlike, don't you think?

The opening lyric... I have no idea where it's from; my friend sent it to me, so if you know the song name please tell me! The ending lyrics are from the song Teardrop by Massive Attack.

Thank you to all my reviewers who have stuck with this story from start to finish, and to everyone else who has read this! I greatly appreciate it.

Oh, and there _might _be an extra special deleted scenes chapter after this_. Maybe_.

And with that, I take my leave.

- Artemis


	11. Deleted Scenes

**Deleted Scene/ 1 / _Age_**

"Could you explain something to me, Lawliet?" Light asked, setting his book down.

Lawliet sipped his tea. "What would you like to know?"

"Why is Watari-san so much younger here?"

"Ah, yes. Here, in whatever this place is, you are allowed to revert to your previous ages if that makes you happy. It ensures that ninety-year olds won't stay ninety for the rest of eternity. You can't age however; so a seven year old for example, would be able to be any age from 1-6, but no older."

The corners of Light's lips tugged upwards.

"So you could become a seven year old too, in theory?"

"Yes. And I assure you no matter what my age I could still outsmart you."

**Deleted Scene/ 2 / _Age_**

"You know, I wouldn't have expected an old-fashioned library to be your idea of paradise," Light mused. "I figured you might choose something more modern, like the Investigation HQ was."

"Why would I want to live in the place I died?" Lawliet deadpanned. "Besides… this is where I grew up. I was most comfortable here."

Light's eyes shone with realization after a moment. "The orphanage in England, right?"

"Correct."

"Were you an orphan from birth then?"

"Not exactly. I have no memories of my father, but I can partially remember my mother. There's a photograph of her there on the mantle."

Light stood and retrieved the picture. It was a black and white photograph of a young woman who looked hardly twenty. She had high cheekbones with the same snowy skin and sunken eyes that Light recognized in the detective. Her hair was a dark and long untamed mass that framed her thin face in the same way Lawliet's black spikes framed his.

"You take after her." Light commented.

"So I've been told. Whammy knew her. She was an orphan herself, you know."

"How did she…?" Light asked slowly.

"An intracranial frontal lobe brain tumor, I believe. It was not pleasant… she lost her vision before she died. I vaguely remember sitting and reading to her when that happened. She died not soon after, and I was deposited in Whammy's care."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm not. I would have ended up there regardless," Lawliet sighed delicately. "I do suppose I'm sorry I didn't get to know her better. But that's it. I was always alone anyway; and would have been, even if I wasn't an orphan. I'm not a people person if you couldn't already tell."

They said nothing for a few moments, before Light spoke up, a gleam in his eye.

"Hey, Lawliet… if she's dead… she's here, right? Couldn't you find her?"

"…it never occurred to me."

"How could you have not thought of that? What were you doing?!" Light asked, obviously exasperated.

"Watching you."

Light blushed ever-so-lightly, and had Lawliet been the type, he would have giggled. "Oh." Light muttered, looking away.

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_Authors Note: _Just two light scenes for your enjoyment. I promised deleted scenes so here they are, finally. Sorry about the wait.

Number two is my personal favorite. :)

Thank you all for reading this fic and for your kind reviews!

Until next time,

_Artemis_


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